{"id":50535,"date":"2026-05-28T14:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/nieuws\/pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:20:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:20:00","slug":"pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/en\/nieuws\/pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope to bishops: Church’s fruitfulness should not be based on numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an audience with members of the Italian Episcopal Conference at the conclusion of their 82nd General Assembly, Pope Leo urges a \u201cfocus on the essential\u201d and keeping the priority on the Gospel, which \u201cawakens us\u201d in today\u2019s world \u201cmarked by complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Vatican News<\/b><\/p>\n

Meeting with participants in the 82nd General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference in the Vatican today, Pope Leo XIV expressed his affection to \u201call the Churches throughout Italy, to the priests, deacons, consecrated persons, families\u2026and also to those who, perhaps without realizing it, carry in their hearts a thirst for God.\u201d<\/p>\n

This gift, he continued, is something he has had the grace to witness \u201ceven in a time like ours, marked by complexity.\u201d The Pope explained he saw it firsthand on his trips to Pompeii, Naples, and Acerra.<\/p>\n

Pope Leo added that there are many signs that reveal tiredness, fragmentation, and loneliness in people’s lives. Sometimes, in communities, people can feel the challenge of passing on the faith and engaging younger generations. Yet, the Pope stressed, \u201cthe Gospel awakens us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The harvest is abundant<\/b><\/h2>\n

Continuing his greeting, Pope Leo reflected on a verse from Luke’s Gospel – \u201cThe harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a tireless sower, God enters the world day after day and \u201cscatters\u201d on people\u2019s hearts the desire for the infinite, \u201cfor a life fulfilled, for a salvation that sets free.\u201d Pope Leo noted that it is thanks to God the harvest is abundant. Our task, he said, is to take the Lord\u2019s gaze and make it our own.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The <\/picture> <\/figure>\n

The Pope urged focusing on what is “essential”, not the numbers \u00a0 (@Vatican Media) <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

We are not meant to merely \u201ccomplain about hardened soil or dwell only on statistics.\u201d Rather, the Pope stressed, we are called to \u201cknow how to see, with the eyes of the Risen Christ,\u201d the harvest God is preparing for us.<\/p>\n

Speaking directly to the Italian bishops, Pope Leo prayed that the Holy Spirit will bestow upon them hearts that are on fire with \u201cthe zeal of Christ\u201d, and that many workers will work \u201calongside us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The priority is the Gospel<\/b><\/h2>\n

Keeping this in mind, \u201cthe priority is the Gospel\u201d, the Pope explained. This is a thread that has run throughout the entire history of the Church\u2014from St. Francis of Assisi to St. Paul VI to Pope Francis. Faith is born from the Gospel, \u201cas a living encounter with Christ, dead and risen, present in His Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s world, Pope Leo noted that bringing the Gospel back to the center \u201cis both the gift that gives enthusiasm to our lives as Bishops and the urgency that drives us onward.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, the bishops must ask themselves these two questions:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What face of God do we allow to shine through in our preaching, catechesis, liturgy, charity, and in the life of our communities?<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How do we foster an encounter with Christ, and what does it mean today, for us and for our Churches, to initiate others into the Christian life?<\/p>\n

Pastors, the Pope urged, should always themselves these questions, \u201cnever taking the answers for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Handing on the faith<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is where a renewed attention to the Christian tradition is important, but one which is more than just preparation for the Sacraments. The Sacraments are the \u201cwomb\u201d in which a community \u201cgives birth to faith and introduces people into the Paschal life, into communion with the Lord, into ecclesial fraternity.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is in living and welcoming communities that the faith can be handed on and grow. It is in the communities that listen and pray, that keep the Eucharist as \u201cthe source and summit\u201d, that see the poor as brothers and sisters, and where families are not left behind.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Bishops, <\/picture> <\/figure>\n

Bishops, the Pope stressed, are called to listen deeply to the Word of God, the People of God, and the signs of the times \u00a0 (@Vatican Media) <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

For this purpose, bishops are called to be deep listeners to the Word of God, the People of God, and the signs of the times. When genuine listening is present, the community does not turn inward. Rather, it grows into a place of mission and discernment and therefore, knows how to renew itself.<\/p>\n

This is what the Synodal Journey means. \u201cA synodal Church is one in which each person, according to his or her vocation, can offer the gift received from the Spirit for the common building up,\u201d Pope Leo highlighted.<\/p>\n

That means participation is not optional. Rather, it is a \u201crequirement of communion and mission and must therefore become method, responsibility, and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not based on numbers<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Pope stressed that God does not ask us to measure the fruitfulness of the Church according to numbers, visibility, or influence.<\/p>\n

Instead, he urged the bishops to \u201chave the courage to focus on what is essential.\u201d The focus should be on an ongoing initiation and formation in Christian life, welcoming and missionary parishes where families can gather, and listening to young people without limiting their questions, among others.<\/p>\n

Closing, Pope Leo entrusted the Italian bishops\u2019 journey to Mary, the Mother of the Church. \u201cMay she help you to be \u2018rooted and built up in Him, steadfast in the faith\u2019 (Col 2:7), to safeguard what is essential, to generate faith, to walk with the People of God, and to recognize the voice of the Lord who still calls, consoles, and sends forth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a9 Dicastery for Communication – Vatican News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an audience with members of the Italian Episcopal Conference at the conclusion of their 82nd General Assembly, Pope Leo urges a \u201cfocus on the essential\u201d and keeping the priority on the Gospel, which \u201cawakens us\u201d in today\u2019s world \u201cmarked by complexity.\u201d Vatican News Meeting with participants in the 82nd General Assembly of the Italian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"bron":[1015],"class_list":["post-50535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nieuws","bron-vatican-news"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls":{"medium":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/50535-pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers-300x169.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/50535-pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers-150x150.jpeg","echo_preview_image":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/50535-pope-to-bishops-churchs-fruitfulness-should-not-be-based-on-numbers-260x146.jpeg"},"appp_media":null,"yoast_head":"\nPope to bishops: Church's fruitfulness should not be based on numbers - 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